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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · game · bass · net · plane · trunk · track · safe

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. game — a match
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. track — a song
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. net — in sport
  16. plane — a tool
  17. net — for catching
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. net — after costs
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. game — wild animals
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com